Weeping with Those who Weep

I read this post today at "Ragamuffin Diva." It struck me deeply.

I particularly liked this prayer that she quoted:

May the angels lead you into paradise;

may the martyrs come to welcome you

and take you to the holy city,

the new and eternal Jerusalem.

May choirs of angels welcome you

and lead you to the bosom of Abraham;

and where Lazarus is poor no longer

may you find eternal rest.

Whoever believes in my, even though that person die, shall live.

I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

Purple Jewel

Would you believe me if I said that things got even harder only minutes after I wrote my last post last night?

I wouldn't have believed that they could.

But they did.

So.

This morning I was in need of a little encouragement. A little reminder that I am loved, that I am the daughter of the King.

I think you'll think I'm weird when I tell you what I'm doing to give myself that reminder. I'm comfortable with being weird. I just want to warn you that this may only be a reminder for me, and that you may not "get it"!

I changed the jewel in my nose piercing. To purple, the color of royalty. Because I need that reminder this morning. That my Abba is in control. That he loves me and will hold me. And a purple jewel in my nose is doing that for me!

Here is a very bad picture, taken on my macbook, in which you can sort of see the new jewel. You can also see the orange and purple in my new glasses very clearly. And my neck - well, the photo is not a particularly flattering angle for my neck, or any of the rest of me. So look at the jewel and the glasses.